3-ingredient Pumpkin Pie Soup

Long before I ever had kids, before I ever thought about food allergies, I was an intern in DC and there was this little cafe there that was not too far from where I was living so I went there a lot.  I was short on time and money and it was on the way to the Metro stop and very inexpensive. In the fall, one of their specials was pumpkin soup and I could get that and a grilled cheese sandwich for less than $5.  I'm assuming if you are reading this blog, you probably are not going to serve this soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, but my memories of this place are all wrapped up in that soup and the grilled cheese sandwich so just bear with me. I cannot tell you how many times I ordered that soup and sandwich combo.  I just could not get enough of it. I loved going to that place and it wasn't even nice inside.  I just felt so cozy dipping my grilled cheese into my soup. 

After I moved, it drove me crazy because I don't think I ever even knew the name of the place and, a few years later, when I tried looking around where I thought it might have been I couldn't find it.  So I could never get another bowl of this amazing soup or ask the people (it was always the same 2 people) who worked there how to make it!  I spent years, literally years, trying to duplicate the recipe from memory and was always very disappointed.  I would go through the trouble of roasting a pumpkin, chopping vegetables, cooking down the soup for a long time and then, after all of that, be supremely let down.  The first time I remember making the soup it was not just disappointing, it was terrible; I under cooked the onions so it was kind of crunchy.  Crunchy soup is never good.  

Imagine my delight when somewhere on the internet I found a recipe for pumpkin pie soup that tasted exactly the way I remembered THE pumpkin soup and it was pretty much the easiest thing in the whole world to make.  The original is made with heavy cream but I subbed coconutmilk with excellent results after I went dairy free.  



Pumpkin pie soup
Serves 6 as an appetizer

• 1 can pumpkin pie filling (not plain pumpkin)
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 cup canned coconutmilk (full fat, not reduced fat)

Stir ingredients into a pan and heat.  That's it!



I can't decide whether this soup is better hot off the stove or after it has cooled a bit.  I think objectively it might taste better room temperature but since the soup of my memories was always warm, I prefer it that way.  Try it both ways, see how you like it.
  
We ate this for dinner yesterday (although I actually don't recommend it as a main dish, because it's too sweet for that).  Since I usually try to avoid eating food from cans I normally only indulge in this soup once a year.  This year it was extra great because we paired it with New Glarus Pie Lust beer, which I had never had before.  The slight bitterness of the beer balanced well with the sweetness of the soup.  I know absolutely nothing about pairing alcohol with food and so this recommendation should be taken with a grain of salt. But I daresay the soup went better with the beer than a grilled cheese sandwich...

Butternut Squash Pear Soup

My friend Tracy introduced me to this recipe (thank you Tracy!).  The pears make this soup sweet, so my toddler gobbles it up!  If you prefer your soups a little less sweet, make sure to add the chopped cilantro to your bowl; it adds a savory flavor.  

To save time, you could use frozen diced butternut squash instead of fresh (just don't cook it for as long).  

P.S. You can't taste the wine once it cooks so don't worry if you have picky eaters.  They won't notice it.    

Butternut Squash Pear Soup

Adapted from The Vegetarian Epicure, by Anna Thomas 

1 lb butternut squash (peeled, seeded and diced; you'll have about 10 oz of squash when you're done) 

1 large yam or sweet potato, peeled and diced

2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

3/4 tsp salt

2 Tbs non-hydrogenated margarine  

2 medium onions. sliced

3 large, ripe pears

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup canned coconutmilk

chopped cilantro (optional; as a garnish)  

1.  Put the butternut squash and yam cubes in a pot with the vegetable broth, water, cinnamon stick and salt.   Simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. (If you are using frozen squash,  add it about halfway through cooking the yam).  Remove the cinnamon stick.

2.  Meanwhile, melt the margarine in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until they start to caramelize.  Peel, core and thinly slice the pears and add them to the onions. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the wine, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3.  Add the pear mixture to the soup and puree with an immersion blender (you could also use a regular blender or a food processor).  Then, add the coconutmilk, and season to taste with salt and pepper.   Heat the soup again just to a simmer, but do not boil.  If you want, you can add a drizzle of leftover coconutmilk and a sprinkle of the chopped cilantro.  

Serves 4 for dinner, or 6 as an appetizer